'Perfectly Famous': Journalist wants to track down a missing author

Obsession, fame and grief swirl in "Perfectly Famous," Emily Liebert's fairly entertaining story about bestselling author Ward DeFleur, who is on the first night of her 15-city book tour when she gets word that her daughter, Stevie, has disappeared.

When Stevie later dies, Ward goes off the grid, cutting off all ties with her agent, publisher and friends.It's been six months since Ward was heard from and Bree Bennett is fascinated by the story. On the night of Stevie's disappearance, Bree was one of the last fans to get Ward's autograph and pose with the author. But that encounter meant even more because Bree, who had been divorced only two days, remembers breaking into tears in front of Ward. Bree has never forgotten Ward's kindness and compassion.

Now Bree is ready to starting to work again as a journalist and wants to write about Ward for her Connecticut newspaper. Such a story also could easily turn into a book. While finding Ward will test Bree's journalistic skills, the assignment also may not be the healthiest. Bree's psychologist friend, Maggie, worries that Bree's obsession with the author is a way to avoid her own problems.

Liebert keeps the plot churning, though "Perfectly Famous" doesn't quite measure up to her 2019 psychological thriller "Pretty Revenge."

The strong characterizations of Ward and Bree elevate the story, and the novel works best when the focus is on them. But Bree's lack of parental skills weakens the plot since her way to deal with her rebellious teenage daughter, Chloe, is to be away from home. Possible romances for both Ward and Bree are another detriment since none of the men are intelligent or interesting and obviously have dark sides.

Still, the quick pacing of "Perfectly Famous" makes it quite suited as a proverbial beach book, kicking off a summer read.